THE PARADISE GARDEN

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THE PARADISE GARDEN

Year 5 Architectural Design Studio | 2021

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

the paradise garden

the people's playground

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Gardens these days are idle, practically less looked upon in the contemporary city. In our effort to improve on nature, we are guided by a vision of paradise, and to create a garden is to search for a better world. Set in Kuala Lumpur 2030, this project brings about the idea of experimenting on a huge garden to implement the notion of nature and playscape. It envisions a garden of the commons for the community to participate, setting the ground for a new performative ideal of urban typology. This project explores the garden in the city as a place of leisure, allowing people to escape from their everyday normality.

18/19th century

Gardens & Parks were originally developed as private gardens for monarchs and other rulers and their associates. Mainly made for domestic pleasure, hunting and festivities. Industrialisation changed the nature of cities, including their parks and development of green spaces.

Garden City ideas were formulated. However, financial constraints hit local governments, influencing their budgets for maintaining parks and green spaces. The lack of priority, neglect, management problems and changes in needs and demands of users led to the decline use of parks or gardens.

Currently, there are new presepectives on green spaces as people become more concern with the quality of urban living. ‘Green Spaces, better places’ document is published and local authorities start to improve planning for developing public green spaces and parks.

20th century

21st century

The Government is drawing up a national policy to guide landscape development in line with efforts to shape Malaysia into the most beautiful garden nation by 2030. The National Landscape Policy is a development policy that aims at creating holistic, quality, unique identity and sustainable landscape to realise the vision of Beautiful Garden Nation that can improve the quality of life and increase economy competitiveness.

VISION

Transforming Malaysia into The Beautiful Garden Nation Year 2030

POLICY STATEMENT

To create a functional and sustainable landscape based on Malaysia’s natural environment in realising The Beautiful Garden Nation vision.

The Paradise Garden masterplan branches out into 4 distinct ‘chapters’; The Garden of Paradise (TG.oP), The Garden of Entertainment (TG.oE), The Garden of Life (TG.oL), and the Garden of Knowledge (TG.oK). TG.oP is the masterplan as a whole. The design of the masterplan reflects on the notion of paradise filled with nature, blooming flowers and another worldly ambience. The Paradise Garden forms an immersive experience that offers a series of different scenarios that forms ‘chapters’ in its urban setting.

the garden of paradise TG.oP / utopia , arcadia , escapism /

the garden of entertainment TG.oE / fun , play , leisure /

the garden of life TG.oL / residential , living , quarters /

the garden of knowledge TG.oK / academy, centre of learning /

Gardens as Dreamscapes

an essay on dream narratives

Gardens as Dreamscapes

an essay on dream narratives

This thesis explores the representation of gardens as dreamscapes with selected influential literature and arts from the renaissance era, as well as looking into a modern media, particularly, film. It discusses the narratives of dreamscapes and its influences on dreams, gardens and architecture. This thesis investigates the ideology of gardens and paradise, that focuses on the visual qualities towards the representation of gardens. The selected case studies chosen were carefully looked into and thoroughly analysed towards the placement of dreamscape incorporating the setting of gardens.

The research focuses on the selected medias that revoles around the concept of a garden and a dream setting. Each chapter focuses on each case study respectively; the first chapter looks into the exploration of Hypnerotomachia Poliphili, a book written by Francesco Colonna. The second chapter analyses the symbolism of The Garden of Earthly Delights, a historical painting by Hieronymus Bosch. The third chapter looks at the discourse of Alice in Wonderland.

The post-script shows my interpretation towards visualizing the dreamscapes that I have thoroughly analysed in my thesis. The developed visuals are set in the same setting and correlates to one another towards my final design, these images are also the starting point towards The Paradise Garden.

“If there is a Paradise on the face of the earth, it is here, it is here, it is here.”

This quote is inscribed on the Black Marble Pavilion, at Shalamar Bagh in Kashmir, which is built for the Emperor Jahangir, 1569-1627.